Four Republican governors, including Ohio's John Kasich, have asked lawmakers to spike the House GOP's Obamacare replacement bill over concerns about what it will do to Medicaid.
According to Cleveland.com, Govs. Kasich, Rick Snyder of Michigan, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas do not agree with the American Health Care Act's position on Medicaid because it would shift much of the program's cost from the federal government to states, among other reasons.
The AHCA "provides almost no new flexibility for states, does not ensure the resources necessary to make sure no one is left out, and shifts significant new costs to states," the group wrote in a letter that was delivered to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The governors did add that they support an overhaul of the Medicaid program, which provides health insurance to poor and disabled people. But the AHCA, they said, would not work for Medicaid in their states.
They attached a nine-page proposal for Republican lawmakers to consider as they work to repeal and replace Obamacare. A few of their suggestions regarding the future of Medicaid:
- Change how Medicaid is financed to a per capita cap.
- Do not allow Medicaid grants to people who do are not part of the elderly or disabled populations.
- Keep the current program structure but reduce the amount of federal funding.
The four aforementioned governors are not the only ones skeptical of the House GOP's healthcare plan. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, a Democrat, told The Hill he doesn't agree with the "flexibility" provided in the GOP's healthcare proposal.
"Flexibility is a term Ryan and the committee chairs came up with as a way to have a shiny object to point to ... and say, 'don't pay attention to anything else! We're going to make it more flexible,'" Malloy said. "The idea that giving us more room to run, I suppose, it doesn't make any sense, particularly when you're going to block grant it and when you're going to block grant a lot less money."
The Washington Post reported last week that the changes to Medicaid in the AHCA could be a significant roadblock for the bill.
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